


i'll always come home to you

by stupidbadgers



Series: promptober 2019 'verse [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Angst, author apologises for nothing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:15:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24157969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stupidbadgers/pseuds/stupidbadgers
Summary: kakashi comes home. iruka takes care of him.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka
Series: promptober 2019 'verse [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1743376
Comments: 9
Kudos: 92





	i'll always come home to you

**Author's Note:**

> this is what leads to [ one of those nights](/works/24140044), but they can be read as separate stories.

Iruka was sitting at the kotatsu, work spread out before him. The weather was just beginning to change from the warmth of summer to the cool winds of autumn, but he was waiting as long as he could to turn on the heat. He tapped the red pen against his pursed lips as he read through the essay before him. Sometimes he wondered if his students were actually listening to him when he lectured. Based on this particularly imaginative history, he guessed this pre-genin had not. 

He looked at the clock. It was already past midnight. He had been sat here working for several hours. Iruka finished reading the essay before placing it in the completed stack. At least that stack was bigger than the one he still had to go through. He put his pen down, making sure to grab his long empty cup after standing. 

Just as he finished washing the cup and setting it in the drainer for the morning, he heard a light tapping coming from the door. He furrowed his eyebrows, curious as to who could be at his door at such a late (or early, depending on how you viewed it) hour. The tapping came again, lighter, but with more urgency. 

Iruka hurried to the door, pushing out a small amount of chakra to help identify who the visitor could be. The chakra signature on the other side of the door briefly flared in response, but it was minimal. Iruka knew who it was though. He would always know that chakra. 

Pressing his hand against the wood by the door he lowered the wards before flinging the door open. Outside, braced against the door jamb, barely standing, was one Hatake Kakashi. His silver hair was drooped from its gravity defying standing, mud and other substances caked in it. The hitai-ate that covered his left eye was askew, more than usual, and the mask that covered his lower face had a rip along his right jaw. Blood was slowly oozing from the cut. More mud and blood covered his vest and uniform, though Iruka could not identify if it was coming from the jounin or not. Kakashi’s right eye, usually half-lidded in projected boredom, was nearly closed. He swayed dangerously forward. Iruka reached out to catch him before he fell on his face. 

“Kakashi, what happened?” Iruka pulled the other man inside, closing the door behind them and resetting the wards. He got Kakashi to the kitchen, sitting in one of the chairs at the table before he started to pull off his vest. 

“Do you have any wounds I can’t see?” Iruka asked as he removed Kakashi’s bloodstained gloves. The man’s palms looked burned, like he had left them in hot water for too long. Iruka knew that meant he had used a chidori, likely only one based on the fact that his hands weren’t blistered. One was enough though. All shinobi had trauma of some sort; Kakashi’s just happened to be with his own jutsu. 

Kakashi still hadn’t responded. Iruka listened to his breathing, making sure it was steady. It was, but only barely. 

“Kakashi, I’m going to have to take you to the hospital if you don’t start talking. Please,” Iruka was not above begging at this point. He knew how much Kakashi hated the hospital, especially when his anxiety flared, and Iruka didn’t want to be the one to take him there. 

The word hospital seemed to get through to Kakashi though, because his eye opened a little more and he tried to talk. 

“’Ruka?” 

“It’s me, Kakashi. You’re home now. What happened?” Iruka repeated his question from a few minutes previous. 

“Ambush. Four missing-nin.” 

Iruka started to pull Kakashi’s shirt up, worried by the darkening spot on the fabric. Three horizontal cuts were bleeding down Kakashi’s ribs, not slowing in the slightest. 

“Shit,” Iruka whispered, grabbing the med-kit from the top of the fridge. He kept one in almost every room of the house, not wanting to have to run to another room if Kakashi was bleeding out. He placed several cotton swabs against the bleeding before assessing how deep they were. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found they were shallow enough for his meager healing jutsu to heal. 

The green glow of healing chakra hovered around his hands. He heard Kakashi’s breath intake sharply as the wound stitched itself back together. He assessed the rest of Kakashi’s torso, but found no other wounds. Bruises were blossoming across his entire right side, as if he had been thrown into something. 

“Are there any wounds on your legs?” Iruka asked, feeling Kakashi’s thighs and calves. 

“Mmm, no, I don’t think—” Kakashi hissed, jerking his leg when Iruka’s fingers got to his right ankle. Iruka assessed it; there was minimal swelling, but it was possible it was sprained. He would deal with that momentarily. 

Iruka’s attention went back to Kakashi’s face. He tugged Kakashi’s mask down, something that still gave him a jolt of excitement, knowing he had unrestricted permission to see the notoriously masked man’s uncovered face whenever he wanted. The cut on his jaw was barely bleeding now, but Iruka still healed it. He stroked Kakashi’s cheek with his thumb, feeling Kakashi unconsciously press his face into Iruka’s hand. His eye had strayed shut again. 

“Alright, you need to shower. I’m guessing you’re dealing with some chakra exhaustion as well?” Iruka asked. 

Kakashi hummed at him in response. 

Iruka shook his head, “you wouldn’t be you without it.”

He helped Kakashi stand, telling him to keep his weight off his right ankle. Kakashi did as told and was shuffled into the bathroom, where Iruka finished stripping him and placed him under the hot water. Iruka stripped his own clothes before climbing into the shower after Kakashi. He helped Kakashi wash his hair and body, the blood and grime of the mission going down the drain. He only wished Kakashi’s anxieties went with it. Iruka could feel the tension in Kakashi’s shoulders, could see the taut lines of his chest and jaw, the ones that spoke of long-ago formed memories. 

Once done and dried, Iruka wrapped Kakashi’s swollen ankle before bringing them to their room. Kakashi gracelessly collapsed into a heap before curling into the sheets. He grunted, turning his head over toward Iruka who had stepped into the hall to grab another blanket from the closet, his dark grey eye opening a fraction. 

“’Ruka?” 

Iruka came back through the doorway, thick, folded blanket in his hands. He closed the door with his foot, the soft click telling him it had latched. 

“I’m right here,” Iruka said quietly, unfurling the blanket across the bed. He carefully climbed over Kakashi, settling underneath the covers and making sure Kakashi’s back was tucked in. 

Kakashi curled into Iruka, despite the bruising on his right side. He pressed all of himself against Iruka, wrapping his arm around his middle and pulling him close. Iruka slipped his fingers between Kakashi’s, entangling the long pale fingers with his tanned ones. He loved to see the contrast between their skin tones, never understanding why but gazing at it nonetheless. 

He brought Kakashi’s hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss to the back of his pale hand before murmuring, “welcome home, love.” 

Kakashi’s chest rumbled against Iruka’s back, a happy, content noise. It reminded Iruka of a cat purring. Iruka fell into unconsciousness with a smile on his face, the feeling of his husband wrapped around him.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! i thrive on kudos and comments. 
> 
> find me on [ tumblr](https://stupidbadgers.tumblr.com).


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